


outside and then in

by wafflelate



Category: Dreaming of Sunshine - Silver Queen
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - The Many Gardens of Shikabane-hime, Drabble Sequence, Fix-It, Gen, Kannabi Bridge Mission, Post-Split
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25207564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafflelate/pseuds/wafflelate
Summary: Five times Minato heard about Shikako and one time they met.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Namikaze Minato & Nohara Rin & Uchiha Obito, Namikaze Minato & Nara Shikako
Comments: 16
Kudos: 662
Collections: Heliocentrism — a Dreaming of Sunshine recursive collection, Multifandom Drabble 2020





	outside and then in

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KuroHikaTsuchi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuroHikaTsuchi/gifts).



### 1.

Maito Dai and Chōza's genin team survive an encounter with the Swordsmen of the Mist because one of them turned against the others at a critical moment. 

Or that's what the popular rumors say. 

The Sandaime passes on Maito Dai's report to Minato, and it indicates that the Mist shinobi had paused and tripped at opportune moments, the way they might when fighting a Nara, but no one had stepped forward. 

Strange, to say the least. But at least Chōza's team and Maito Dai are alive. There are many curiosities in war, and not all of them can be investigated. 

### 2.

Minato feared the worst while tracking them down, but he finds the kids in one piece. Kakashi's eye can be saved and Rin's hands only shake from her usual post-fight jitters. Obito jumps to his feet, announcing that he got his Sharingan. 

Also, they _did_ almost die. Help came at the last second. 

"A Nara jōnin," Obito says. "She was so cool, and destroyed the bridge for us! But she couldn't stay." 

(Later, Minato asks Shikaku...as he thought, there are no jōnin level active duty Nara kunoichi. An imposter, then, though the purpose of such an infiltration is unclear.) 

### 3.

A ninken bursts into their camp, quickly followed by Kakashi, the both of them looking like they've probably sprinted half the night. Minato stands, alarmed to find Kakashi so far from where he should be posted. 

"Minato-sensei," Kakashi says, more a gasp of relief than a real greeting. He starts to explain, "That fake Nara came back—" and then breaks off, having noticed that Minato isn't alone. "Rin needs you," he finishes, vague but intense. 

On their way back to Rin, Minato learns that Rin is now a stable jinchūriki and that everything could have turned out much, much worse. 

### 4.

Orochimaru goes out on a mission and doesn't come back. At first they think he's died—"And it troubles me to think of what could prevent Orochimaru from coming home," the Sandaime says— but then they find the children. 

Minato presses Hiruzen to declare Orochimaru a missing nin. Three days after they send out the bounty, it's claimed near Land of Sea. 

The bounty claimer was pretty average looking, the bounty office clerk says when questioned. "Damn young", though, a teenager. Braided hair, plain clothing. Every inch of the description matching the fake Nara Minato's team has met twice before. 

### 5.

Three weeks after Minato takes the Hat Tsunade storms back into town and flings a storage scroll down on his desk. "I'm taking the hospital over," she announces, as if that and the storage scroll are related. 

On closer study, the scroll actually has the black band marking it for corpses. 

"The hospital will appreciate your strong leadership," Minato says diplomatically. "I trust this isn't Katō Shizune?" 

"Don't be stupid." Tsunade visibly pauses. "Are you saying that you _didn't_ send that Nara girl to dump Uchiha Madara's corpse in my lap?" 

Minato is getting a little tired of these surprises. 

### +1

The fake Nara's name is Amago. She's about sixteen, braided hair, nondescript clothing, and looking more comfortable in the interrogation room than Minato feels. 

Minato says, "It's good to finally meet you." 

"I've been avoiding you." 

"But not anymore." 

"Not anymore," she agrees, and sits up in her chair. "Will you let me join?" 

"I've considered it," Minato says, although he's already decided he will. "Tell me why I should." 

"I want to come home," Amago says, "and there are things I can't fix from the outside." 

Well. At the very least, Minato might get some of his questions answered. 


End file.
